


at every moment alive

by QQI25



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Genderqueer Character, Ghosts, Healing, Nonbinary Character, Pan Character, Rehabilitation, Sapphic Character, Sibling Bonding, The Umbrella Academy (TV) Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:21:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25644229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QQI25/pseuds/QQI25
Summary: A few years before the events of season 1 of The Umbrella Academy, Vanya decides to try going off the meds. She's more confident than ever, but there also seems to be a ghost (or ghosts) haunting her, and she recruits Klaus's help to get down to the bottom of it.
Relationships: Ben Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves, Diego Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves, Diego Hargreeves & Vanya Hargreeves, Klaus Hargreeves & Vanya Hargreeves
Comments: 46
Kudos: 276
Collections: The umbrella academy





	1. things in there that scratch about

**Author's Note:**

> Based off [this post](https://theoriginalcrossjumper.tumblr.com/post/611503889787813888/tua-fic-idea-where-a-few-years-before-apocalypse) by theoriginalcrossjumper on tumblr!
> 
> Title's from the quote "Everything we are is at every moment alive in us" by Arthur Miller.

Vanya feels like she’s been getting better. Lately she hasn’t been as anxious, and lately she’s been happier. So she takes them less. Where before she took them five times a day, plus whenever she feels a panic or anxiety attack coming on, now she takes them three times a day plus the attacks. As time goes on, it whittles down to two times a day, then one. And she feels _really good_. She feels like she’s seizing more and more opportunities that come her way, and becoming more confident in herself and the skills she has (namely, playing the violin). She feels _alive_. 

Her apartment, strangely enough, kinda seems to be alive as well. She notices it more when she’s feeling intense emotions. At first she thought she was just seeing things, but no, things in the room really _will_ vibrate. It all comes to a head when a student knocks on the door and she jumps . . . and so, it seems, do her glass cup on the table and the vase she’s always hated. (It was a gift from a neighbour and she would’ve felt bad throwing it away.) 

She’s already got a theory formed in her mind. There’s a ghost haunting her apartment, and when her emotions get intense, the ghost temporarily gets more power. Or ghosts. It could be more than one. And to figure that out, she needs Klaus. He isn’t easy to find, but, looking down enough shady alleys, she eventually finds him.

“Klaus?” He stumbles around to face her and she watches as recognition slowly lights up his eyes. 

“Vanya? Fancy seeing you here, sis. I’unno if I have enough here for you, but—“

“No, that’s not what I’m here for. I was looking for _you_.” Upon hearing this, Klaus brings a hand up to his heart.

“Aww, little ol’ me? Whatever for?” 

“Can we—do you wanna come back to my apartment?”

“Sure. Sure, sis. Lead the way,” Klaus says, patting her shoulder. 

“The reason I was looking for you is because I need your help.”

“Oh. Not . . . not Luther, or Diego, or Allison? Well, heh, Luther’s up—up there.”

“No. This is something only you can help me with.” Vanya looks at Klaus, who straightens up, blinking. 

“Okay. What for?” She blows out a breath.

“I think my apartment’s haunted? I think my apartment’s haunted,” she says with more conviction. “I—things keep moving whenever my emotions are running high. I think that my emotions are giving them the energy to—I dunno, move things.”

“See, I’d _love_ to help you, but I’m . . . not in the right frame of mind to do so.” His gaze goes off to the side, like he’s concentrating. “Yeah I _know_. . . . You know me. Do I seem like I’d _want_ to suffer? . . . Fine, sure.” He looks back at her. 

“Everything okay?” she asks tentatively.

“Of course not!” Klaus answers cheerily. “If I’m allowed to stay at your place for a bit, then I can help you.”

“Yeah of course. Of course, Klaus.”

“I just have the couch,” she says apologetically. “You could sleep on my bed though? You’re taller than me; it probably won’t be too comfortable for you.” Klaus waves it off.

“No, wouldn’t wanna kick you outta your own bed. Don’t sleep much anyways,” he says flippantly. She looks at him, concerned, but he doesn’t notice, too busy looking around the apartment. She gives him a tour of the place, ending with the couch that’s to be his for the time being. They sit down side by side, silent, staring into space. It’s a little awkward, if she’s to be honest, but it’s . . . nice. _He_ , himself, had always been one of the kinder ones, and that’s not something she’s gonna forget.

They end up ordering take out—Chinese—for dinner. Dinner at the table is also kinda quiet, but she herself has always been quieter and he’s always been respectful of that. She can’t remember the last time she’s had someone over for a meal, or even _if_ that’s ever happened. 

“Go to bed, Vanya,” Klaus says gently after she yawns behind her hand for the umpteenth time. 

“No I’m fine; I can stay up with you,” she protests. She yawns again and he looks pointedly at her. “Okay if you’re sure.” She brings a blanket and toothbrush out for him and gets ready for bed.

“Good night, Klaus,” she says before going to her room. “Wake me if you need anything.” 

“Night, Vanya. Will do.” As she drifts off to sleep, it sounds like Klaus is having a conversation with someone. She just doesn’t know who. 

When Vanya wakes, she moves about as quietly as possible. She makes her bed and heads to the kitchen, where she makes herself a bowl of cereal and cup of coffee. They need to go shopping today; she needs more if she’s to feed the both of them. And if Klaus needs to stay at her place for a bit, he probably doesn’t have clothes, so they need to buy clothes as well. 

There’s a thump from the living room and she rushes over. Klaus is sitting in a tangle of blankets on the floor. 

“Oh my god, are you okay?”

“Just peachy,” he says, yawning. He attempts to free himself from the blankets and she helps out. “Thanks.” 

“Yeah. Are you hungry? Or thirsty? I’ve got some coffee.” 

“I’d _love_ some coffee.” He follows her to the kitchen and takes the cup she offers him. He pours himself a cup of coffee and adds some milk and sugar. 

“Cereal’s in there, if you want.” She hands him a bowl, pointing out the cereal cabinet, and sits back down. He settles on the Corn Pops, same as her.

“We’ve gotta go shopping after this. We need groceries, and you probably need clothes and other stuff.”

“Solid plan. Hey what if you just used coffee as the milk in cereal?” he asks thoughtfully. “Would save a few steps. You wouldn’t need to add anything to your coffee, or at least not sugar, and you wouldn’t need to pour milk into the cereal. You _did_ do that, right? You poured milk into your cereal, and not cereal into your milk?”

“No, never. Not unless I’m refilling my bowl. Do people actually do that?” She looks at Klaus, who shrugs. 

“I sure hope not, but God knows monsters like that exist in this world. Imagine knowing someone like that.” Klaus shudders and she laughs. He looks at her with a smile. 

They get groceries first. They know what they want, so that’s a faster and simpler trip. Klaus goes off and grabs things he likes and returns to her cart with them. She takes out her reusable bags at check out and Klaus bags their stuff. They split the bags between them, take them home, put everything away, and go to a thrift shop for clothes. 

Vanya’s not looking for anything in particular, so she just follows Klaus. He’ll stop occasionally to finger a fabric, looking thoughtful as he rubs it between his thumb and forefinger. Some he’ll immediately let go of, and some he’ll keep. She touches the ones he casts aside; they’re rough and/or just uncomfortable. She finds a skirt, long and flowy, just like Klaus used to borrow from Allison. It’s soft. 

“That might be a little big for you,” someone says. She startles and turns around to find a sales assistant. 

“Oh, no, it’s for my brother. He’s—” she waves her hand, “taller. Than me.” Klaus turns around ahead of them and waves.

“Ah,” the sales assistant says understandingly. “Is there a particular style you’re looking for?” 

“No, just as long as it’s comfortable. But thanks.”

“Of course! Let me know if you need anything.”

“Will do,” she says awkwardly, throwing up a finger gun. God that was weird; why did she do that? She hurries to join Klaus. 

“It’s they, by the way,” Klaus informs her. 

“Oh I’m sorry. How long?” 

“No biggie. It’s just a sometimes thing, and today’s one of those days,” they answer. 

“Ah, gotcha. I found this skirt I thought you might like. It made me think of the kinds of clothes you’d borrow from Allison.” She holds it up and their face splits into a smile. Their hand feels the fabric. 

“Oh this is perfect, Vanya. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” she says with a smile. 

“I think I’m about done here. Are you looking for anything in particular?”

“Oh no, I don’t really need new clothes.”

“Suit yourself. Ha, because we’re at a thrift store. Well if you need clothes you can always borrow mine.”

“Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.” She pays for it all and they head home. After showing Klaus where they can put their clothes, she makes lunch for the two of them with their new groceries. 

“Klaus, you know I love you, right? But I just don’t think I’m enough to help you get through withdrawal,” she says once they’ve sat down to eat together. 

“What are you suggesting?” They squint at her. 

“I think that maybe it’d be better . . . if you went to rehab. And I’m not saying I want you out of my house; I think you can do outpatient or whatever. I just think they’d be able to help you more.”

“Vanya, do you _care_ about me?”

“I love you. Of _course_ I care about you.”

“You _do_ know I’ve tried rehab before right? And I’m still . . . like this?” They gesture at themself. 

“I’m not gonna try to force you into anything, Klaus. If you don’t think it’ll work, or don’t want to, or both, then don’t go. I just think if you need to be sober to do this, it’ll probably be a slightly more pleasant experience if you’re also seeing professionals who know what they’re doing and how to help you through it.” Klaus squints their eyes again, this time staring off into space. 

“Okay, yeah. I’ll give it a try.” 

They look at rehab programs in the area, both online and in person. It needs to have an atmosphere of kindness and healing. After a few days, they find one that they’re both comfortable with Klaus going to. 

“If you need anything or it sucks or you can’t or don’t wanna do it, call me,” Vanya says before they go in. Klaus cracks a smile. 

“Yes Mom,” he says with a salute. 

“I’m serious, Klaus.”

“I know,” he says quieter. They walk in and get him checked in, and then she leaves. 

They don't talk much about what goes on when they’re there, and she doesn’t mind. They’re pretty jittery, but it seems to help. They’ve also been getting into more creative things. They went to the store together and got Klaus a sketchbook. They spend a lot of time on their couch drawing. They don’t talk about those, either, and she doesn’t mind. 

She still gets students. When they come over, Klaus just goes to her room while she’s out in the living room with the student. And when Klaus is at rehab, she goes to practice at the theatre or she practices at home. Sometimes at night she’ll play whatever song she’s been practicing, and they’ll close their eyes on the couch. They really like her playing. It makes her think of when Five would listen to her practice. 

“I’m bored,” Klaus declares one Saturday, putting down whatever he’s working on. 

“Okay. Do you . . . wanna go to a craft store and see if inspiration strikes you?”

“Why the hell not? I’d _love_ to.” 

There’s a whole section dedicated to jewellery, both the kind with more elaborate accessories and the kind you make with string and wooden or plastic beads. 

“I’d always kinda wanted to make jewellery. Especially friendship bracelets,” she says wistfully. 

“Then let’s do it! What kind?” 

So they take time together to pick stuff out. They get embroidery floss for the kinds of friendship bracelets that are traditionally braided. They also get plastic pony beads and elastic cord. There’s quite a variety of colours, and they get beads in all the colours of the rainbow, as well as pastel ones. She finds herself giggling as they put the beads in their cart, purchases they’d never have been able to make back then. 

The next aisle has something called Perler beads. She reads the instructions and finds out you put them on a pegboard in whatever shape you like, and then iron it and it’ll hold. They get those too, a whole thing of assorted colours, and it comes with differently shaped pegboards. (There’s a square and circle, but also a hexagon! A star! A heart!) There’s also mini Perler beads, so they get them too. Those come with just a square and circle pegboard. 

While meandering about the rest of the store, they go through a few aisles with yarn. Vanya watches as Klaus is quickly drawn to the ones from Bernat. He holds out a thing of blue and green tie-dye to her. 

“Vanya, it’s _so soft_ ,” he says reverently. She touches it, and it quickly turns into stroking it. 

“Oh my god it really is.”

“I’ve been wanting to try out knitting,” he says absently. “This sweet old lady has been talking to me about it.” He throws that into the cart, and picks up a few more for good measure. There’s one that looks like the colours of the sunset; one that’s shades of blue; one that’s rainbow; one that’s shades of green; and one that’s black, white, and grey. She eyes that last one. It also seems like it might be a bit much, but she has no idea how much you actually need, and she also knows how nice it can be to have soft things. 

“I think we’ve got enough things for now,” Klaus says. Vanya peers into the cart and laughs. 

“Yeah, I think we’ve got enough.” They check out and head back home. 

“I don’t even know if I have _space_ for all this,” Vanya says, laughing. She’s got the kitchen, the living room, and her bedroom. That’s it. 

“Once I start making shit, we’ll have blankets or scarves or hats, and those take up less space. Also we’ll make bracelets, which will take up less space.”

“Yeah, that’s true.” 

“Pinterest is _great_ ,” Klaus crows. They’ve got their feet up on the coffee table, slouched over as they scroll on their phone. The two of them have been spending their time together doing research before starting on any crafts. They’d tried to start making stuff with the Perler beads, once, but then it’d gotten annoying with having to hunt for a certain colour, so their plan now is to sort them out first, into separate containers. It’s actually quite calming and mesmerising to sort them out. She finds she’ll sit there for hours at a time doing so. 

“Truly,” she says, because right, they’d said something to her. The sounds of sorting are nice too, the soft clink of dropping a bead into the respective container, the rustling as she sifts through the big container. “How’s your blanket coming along?”

“It’s coming along nicely. Don’t think this means I’m gonna show you, though.” They’ve been working on it at rehab with the lady who taught them. They’re adamant about not showing Vanya ‘til it’s fully done. “Hey, are you hungry?” She takes a moment to consider the question.

“I am, actually.” 

“Wanna walk somewhere?” They both look outside. It looks nice enough. She nods so they get up and stretch, and go put their coats on. They have lunch together at a cafe, and it’s good. She takes a menu on their way out, just in case they wanna order take-out from there.

While hunting for necklace ideas, she stumbles upon a concept for people whose pronouns vary day by day. It’s _perfect_ for Klaus. She makes them while they’re off at rehab. The colours she gets from the Trans Kaleidoscope Flag created by the Toronto Trans Alliance: pink for female, purple for both female and male, green for neither female nor male, and blue for male. She uses plastic pony beads and elastic cord, and, at the center of each necklace, spells out “SHE/HER”, “THEY/THEM”, AND “HE/HIM”. Klaus hasn’t had days where they go by she/her pronouns yet, but she makes it anyway just in case. If they don’t apply, that’ll be her necklace. She’s done by the time they come home. 

“What’s kickin’, Vanya? I’ve almost finished my blanket, lucky for you! You make anything while I was gone?”

“I did, actually,” she answers.

“Ooh.” Klaus closes the door behind them, takes off their shoes, and goes eagerly over to where she’s sitting. 

“It’s for you.” She presents the necklaces like they’re a case in Deal or No Deal and their hands fly up to their mouth. 

“For li’l ol’ _me_?” They hold up each of the necklaces in turns, free hand running over the beads with their forefinger. 

“I don’t use she/her pronouns,” they say.

“Okay. That one’s mine, then.” She takes that one and puts it around her neck, making sure the pronouns are in the center. They put down the he/him necklace and put on the they/them one. 

“Thank you. It means a lot.” 

“Of course. Can I hug you?”

“Of _course_.” So she scoots over and hugs them. They give good hugs. 

“Hey guess what I finished the blanket! Also the people at rehab have been liking the necklaces you made me and find them helpful.” Klaus closes the door behind him. She gets up from where she’s been sitting at the kitchen table and goes into the living room. 

“Ooh, can I finally see it?” 

“You bet!” He unfolds and holds out the blanket with a flourish. It’s been made with the black, white, and grey yarn. 

“Wow.” She reaches a hand out and pets it.

“It’s for you. Not perfect, but.” He shrugs.

“No, I love it. Thank you, Klaus.” She brings it to her room and folds it up nicely, leaving it on her bed.

She’s not sure why she wakes up at first, just lays there for a few moments, absently petting the blanket Klaus made. Then she hears a muffled noise from the other room. Klaus. 

She gets up, bringing her phone with her, and turns the flashlight on. Klaus has done the same in the living room, heading towards the light switch. 

“It’s dark in here,” he says weakly. She goes to the kitchen and turns on that light too. They sit down on the couch together, and he scoots closer so that their legs are touching. She cautiously reaches out and puts a hand on his knee, putting it there more firmly when he doesn’t move away.

“You okay?” she asks. He’s crying, she realises as he swipes at his eyes.

“Um, I used to have this nightmare—nightmare in the loosest sense, because it could just be a-a vision, or something—where a bunch of dead people are _calling my name_. And it’s back!” He does sarcastic jazz hands.

“Shit, Klaus. Is there anything I can do?” 

“Not really. It’s, what, 4? And I’m not gonna be sleeping the rest of the night.” 

“Let’s go eat.”

“What?”

“Let’s go eat. There’s a family diner that’s open around this time. They’re kind there, and I go if I can’t sleep.”

“Okay. Can we stay like this for a bit first?”

“Anything you need,” she says softly. She puts her arm around him and replaces the hand that was on his knee with her other one. It must help even though she’s smaller, because he leans into the touch and puts his own hand over hers. 

“Now we know I can help _you_ ,” he says with a snort. “I can see ghosts again.” 

“Yeah, maybe later. . . . Do you always have that . . . dream?” 

“Yep,” he says, sighing. “Fun, isn’t it?” If she didn’t understand why he did drugs before, she definitely does now. 

“That’s why you don’t sleep well?” 

“Right once again! Damn Vanya, you’re on a _roll_.”

“I _love_ being right about my sibling’s fucked up life,” she says dryly. He throws his head back laughing. 

“I knew there was a reason you were my favourite. You and Ben,” he amends. “And Diego, maybe. I haven’t seen him in a while. Huh. Anyway, I’m ready to go now.” 

Their waitress is a kind, older woman. They’re seated at a two-seater booth, and they both order pancakes with bacon, hers with blueberries and his with strawberries. No one else is really here, as expected for 4 in the morning. There’s always something about eating food this early that makes it taste better. The company, too, makes it taste better. Their knees are touching the whole time. 

While Klaus is at rehab that day, she thinks back to when they still lived at the Academy. She remembers, more than once, Klaus’s head veering dangerously towards his plate or bowl before snapping back up, remembers the perpetual bags under his eyes. Their dad had never offered anything besides admonishments, and if Mom had helped Klaus, she’s not sure. There’s a ringing in her ear, and her mug’s getting closer and closer to falling. She catches it in time and places it towards the middle of the table with a sigh. They’ve really gotta look into the whole ghost thing, when Klaus is feeling up for it. She either hasn’t been noticing it, or it hasn’t been active. It’s probably shy because there’s a new person in the apartment. _Can_ ghosts be shy? Either way, if her theory is right that her emotions give it power (it’s probably mostly negative emotions, which would make sense for a ghost), then she needs to calm down. She decides to sort some beads, and is still sorting when Klaus gets home. 

“The ghost made my mug almost fall,” she says without preamble.

“Uh, hi to you too.” Klaus shuts the door. 

“Shit, yeah, sorry. Hi Klaus. How was your day?”

“No, no, yours sounds more interesting. What happened?” 

“Okay, well, I was getting pissed thinking about how Dad didn’t help you once in all the time we were there, and then I heard a ringing, then my mug almost fell off the table.” 

“Wow,” Klaus says, clearly taken aback. “That’s really . . . sweet of you to get pissed on my behalf.” 

“What he did to you—what he did to all of us—was fucked up. Any person in their right mind would get pissed.”

“Yeah,” Klaus says, trailing off and rubbing the back of his neck. “Anyway, let’s take a look-see around this apartment, shall we?” 

“Are you up to it?” 

“‘Course. Tell me about this ghost. Or ghosts.” 

“They haven’t been present much lately. I think maybe they’re shy or something, because _you’re_ here? Like, they’ve been so used to just me. They’re not active when my students are over either. Like I told you in the beginning, I think they’re connected to me, in a way. When my emotions are running high, usually when I’m angry or upset or something, they have a way to channel their own energy. Usually that’s breaking things.” 

“Are there areas where they’re more active?” Klaus asks. They’re doing a slow walk together around her apartment. 

“The kitchen and living room.” 

“Hello,” Klaus calls out. “Hi. What’s up?” After doing two more walks around the apartment, they stop.

“Yeah, I’m not seeing anyone besides us.”

“Oh. Okay. Well maybe they left right after.”

“Yeah, maybe. We’ll check in as the week progresses.”

But as the week progresses, there’s _still_ nothing. She’s getting increasingly frustrated. At the end of the week, they take a break from their investigations. Well, Klaus sits down and Vanya paces around. 

“Look, Vanya, I don’t think there’s any ghosts here.”

“I’m getting really frustrated,” she explains levelly, “but not at you. And this could be a good time to catch the ghost.”

“Let it all out,” Klaus says, throwing their arms open. She takes a deep breath in and lets it out.

“Because there’s _no fucking way_ there’s not a fucking ghost. I _know_ what I’ve been fucking seeing, and there’s _proof_ I’m not just imagining things! They’ve broken a few cups and a vase! My _mug_ almost fell off the table, and there’s no way it was just the _wind_ or something because my window wasn’t open and the air wasn’t on! I’ve been losing sleep because I’m worried sick about this! I’m scared something’s gonna happen when a student’s over, or something’s gonna happen to you! It’s only a matter of time! And I can’t even fucking anticipate it because it’s a fucking _ghost_ and I _can’t see_ ghosts, but I know it’s there! And I’m not fucking delusional!” She’d absently noticed the tension building and the ringing sound, and on the word “delusional”, it’s like a spell breaks. All the vases scattered in the open, along with the ceiling light, shatter. 

“See? Ghost!” she says triumphantly, pointing at the shattered remains of the light lying on the living room floor. 

“Still no ghost. Unless I suddenly got not-sober again,” Klaus starts slowly, “there’s no ghost. It’s _you_ , sis.”

“No. No no no. _Dad_ told me I don’t have powers. Dad knows everything. He was documenting all our progress we’d _know_ I have powers I can’t have powers. I’m ordinary number 7.” She feels like she’s on the verge of tears. Her hands are shaking. 

“Vanya,” Klaus says gently. “There’s ringing in my ears, the room is shaking, and there’s no ghost. It’s just us.”

“I,” she starts, but there’s no words after. What can she say?

“It’s okay. I’m here. You’re not alone. We can figure this out together. Tea? You want tea?” She nods numbly and they get up, placing their blanket over her before preparing some tea. 

“So . . . so what do we do now?” she asks as they sit down, handing one cup to her.

“What I know for sure is that you can’t go back to Dad,” Klaus says firmly. “He has ways of exploiting—sorry, _exploring_ — your powers that . . . won’t be pleasant.”

“Okay.”

“And . . . that’s what the rest of them will no doubt suggest. Well, maybe not Diego. Well, I dunno. He might, just so he can see Mom.”

“Okay, so I won’t go to them. But I’d still have _you_ , right? You’d stay and help me?”

“I said we’d figure this out together, didn’t I?” They set their cup down and put an arm around Vanya’s shoulders, gently gathering her closer. 

“Yeah. You did,” she says softly.


	2. cross my heart won't tell no other

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus helps Vanya start figuring out what exactly she can do. And then Klaus . . . also discovers some new powers?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter title from seven by taylor swift!
> 
> the powers klaus has are from the comics, and there's also cut scenes in s1e1 (i read tht pt of [the script](https://8flix.com/assets/screenplays/The-Umbrella-Academy-2018-Se1Ep1-by-Jeremy-Slater-We-Only-See-Each-Other-at-Weddings-and-Funerals.pdf))

“How do you wanna do this? Not going to Dad means we’re also not gonna do things like him. We’re only doing things _you’re_ comfortable with,” Klaus says over breakfast the next day. 

“Mmm I guess first we have to figure out what we know. That’s that when I get really worked up or scared, I create a ringing, breakables move closer to the edge of whatever they’re on, and eventually fall and/or shatter. And now we need to figure out what we wanna know.”

“Okay what do you wanna know?” Klaus says encouragingly. She thinks about it for a bit.

“If it happens during other emotions, or just anger and fear. The extent of what I can do, if I can control _what_ breaks.” Klaus nods thoughtfully and Vanya breathes a sigh of relief, glad they also think it’s a good start. 

“So now we gotta figure out _how_ to figure all this out,” Klaus says. She nods. “Which one do you think you wanna try first?” 

“Let’s test emotions first,” she decides. “I guess we should stick with the main emotions, right? Let’s look them up.” She opens up her phone and looks up the emotion wheel.

“Or we could think about the emotions from Inside Out,” Klaus says persuasively, side-eying her. She smiles and pauses in her typing.

“Okay that’s true. What emotions are there then, Smartass?” 

“Sadness, of course. Joy. Disgust. Anger. Fear. Was there another one? I feel like there was another one. What else can you feel? Hunger. Tired.”

“Nope you were right,” Vanya confirms after looking it up. “But do you wanna test those last two? Not sure they’re emotions, but we can try.” 

“I don’t need your pity.” Klaus scoffs and she laughs. 

“Okay, fine. Those were stupid and we shouldn’t even think of doing them.” 

“Ouch sis. Is mean an emotion? Because if so you should try out your powers now.”

“Oh yeah whoa look! I’m making my cup float!” She holds it up and wiggles it around, mimicking the way ghosts are portrayed in movies.

“Oh my god Van, you’re doing it!” They both bust out laughing, Vanya setting her cup down so it doesn’t spill. Then Klaus sits up abruptly. “Wait, shit, we really could try it. This could fit joy.” 

“Oh, you’re right.” 

“Just think happy thoughts, like Peter Pan said.” She laughs and thinks about how she wants Klaus’s cup to break (theirs is empty). It feels weird and awkward, but Vanya tries to ignore that, instead just looking at the cup and focusing on how happy she felt just now, laughing with her sibling. This time though, there’s no ringing. No, it might be her imagination, but their laughter gets louder and louder ‘til the cup abruptly breaks. They’re left staring at each other, stunned. 

“Holy shit you did it!”

“I did! I didn’t think that was gonna work,” she says, laughing in disbelief. “Oh my god!” 

“Should we keep track of this?”

“Oh yeah, that’s a good idea.” She gets the pad of paper and pen she keeps on the coffee table and makes a grid. For now, she just lists the main emotions and puts checkmarks next to “Anger”, “Fear”, and “Joy”. 

“No more testing for now, okay? Don’t wanna tax you.”

“Sure,” Vanya said agreeably. “Let’s plan out how we’re gonna test the rest, which are disgust and sadness. Not exactly easy to test. Hmm.”

“For sadness we can watch a sad movie? Do you think that could work? Because our other option is to like, trigger a depressive episode and I’m not liking the sound of that.”

“Yeah, no, me neither. I think the movie would do just fine. How about disgust?” She writes down “watch a sad movie/consume a piece of media that’s sad” by “sadness”.

“Mmm observe my life choices et voilà!” They do jazz hands to punctuate it. She frowns.

“Excuse you, you’re doing just fine. And any poor decisions were not you making poor decisions just ‘cause, but to try to combat the shitty hand you’d been dealt. If anything, I’d look at _Dad’s_ life choices.” Klaus falls silent. 

“Or mine,” she adds under her breath. At that, a lopsided smile appears on Klaus’s face. 

“Aww c’mon, _I_ can’t be self-deprecating but _you_ can?”

“As siblings, I’m the only one who can make fun of you. And the others too, I guess.”

“Fine, but I’m invoking the inverse.” 

“Ugh, when did we become some killjoys?” They both laugh, but she’s made a mental note to keep track of and gently call Klaus out when they’re being self-deprecating. She has no doubt they’ve done the same thing. 

Vanya’s an emotional person. Her theory is that as a kid, she’d kinda repressed that shit, and now that she feels safe enough to do so, she’s feeling more emotions with more intensity. That being said, it’s not gonna be too hard to find something that will make her cry. If she’s honest, almost every movie could make her cry. She’s cried at fucking _commercials_ before. 

“Hey so what if we watched _Inside Out_?” Klaus suggests. “It’s what helped me brainstorm the feelings; we owe it to the movie.”

“That’s a good idea. It _does_ make me sad.”

“Wow. That was sad,” Klaus says. Vanya nods, unwilling to talk through her tears. “I’d say we’re both a tie between Sadness and Fear. We could be twins! Wait, we technically all are.” He laughs. She wonders how he’s able to laugh though it was sad (and she saw him cry, so she knows it affected him), but remembers he’s learned to do that since he was barely a teen. She, on the other hand, had tended to wallow in it, in the feeling of not belonging. She calls on those feelings now (not that it’s hard), and thinks about breaking the mug on the table in front of her. That’s not really hard either. But she feels so tired now. She slumps in her seat and Klaus scoots closer, patting her knee. 

“Hey, you did good,” he says quietly. He gets up to go to the kitchen and comes back with two mugs of tea. It warms her hand, and she can almost feel it spreading throughout the rest of her body. 

“Thanks.”

“Of course.” He takes a sip of his tea before continuing. “So obviously sadness helped with your power. But it didn’t help _you_. Let’s not do it again. I think that’s enough of experimenting with emotions. Obviously it works, so let’s just . . . take a break. There’s no pressing concerns. What do you wanna do?”

“Actually could I just watch you knit?” Klaus looks surprised at that.

“Oh. Yeah, if you want. Lemme just go get my stuff.” 

He comes back with a large pink bag and sits down next to her. From it, he takes out his needles, which are attached to his latest project, and a ball of yarn. It’s the grayscale one. 

“It’s gonna be another blanket,” he explains. She nods and loses herself in watching him the next couple of hours. 

Vanya awakes one morning to a thump. Concerned, she rushes to the living room, looking around the floor, but Klaus is nowhere to be found.

“Klaus?” she calls out, worried, eyes darting around the dining room, the kitchen.

“Hello,” they say in a singsong voice. She looks up and sees they’re on the ceiling. “Funny story. I had a dream I was flying, and then I hit an invisible ceiling in the sky, and then I wake up and it turns out I’ve just hit the ceiling in the apartment!” 

“Oh,” she says faintly. She recovers quickly though, going into a more scientific mode. “Maybe it was the thought of flying. Maybe now you can . . . levitate. Fly. Try to think about _not_ flying, but—” Klaus abruptly falls on the couch, but not too fast. 

“Oops. What were you gonna say, V?” 

“I was gonna say make sure you’re over the couch. But I guess since you floated from it, you _would_ already be over it.”

“Huh. I guess now we’ve gotta do _more_ experiments. Hey! That gives us the perfect reason to take a break from pushing you. It’s gotta be taxing on your body, and now you can rest!” She’s ready to object, say it’s not taxing, but she realises it’d be a lie. They’re right; she _does_ feel drained and exhausted.

“Thanks,” she says gratefully. “I guess I’ll grab the journal and a pencil?” 

“No time like the present! Oh I feel _so much_ like a scientist,” they say happily. “Oh my god, we should buy lab coats! Oh my god, it could even be our Halloween costumes! Potion bottles too, how fun. Or well, test tubes and beakers.” She smiles softly at Klaus, who’s unaware as they think a bit more about that idea. It’s just . . . so good to see them happy and _alive_.

“So we’re testing your new powers. What do you wanna call them? And also what about them do you wanna test?”

“Flying sounds cooler, but levitating seems more along the death and horror route. What do you think?”

“Well, maybe we can wait to see if it’s more flying or levitating. For now, how about . . . floating?”

“Aww cute! I love it. Onto testing. Hmm. Well I wanna know if I can do it in my waking hours, see if there’s a time limit. Ooh or a height limit. Like, am I just stuck on the ceiling because that’s the limit? If I’m outside, would I keep floating unhindered? Of course, I’d hafta make sure no one sees, so probably best to do that one at night. Or could I control the height? Could I go as high or low as I want? Ooh could I go wherever I want? Could I float around the room instead of in place?”

“I think we’re getting better at this science stuff,” Vanya declares.

“Of course we are,” Klaus scoffs. “We’re _us_ , after all.” Then, much quieter, they say, “This is more fun than what Dad did. I think anything is more fun than what he did.” Her heart clenches at that, but they just visibly shake themself off and sit a little taller. 

“What should we start with?”

“Maybe breakfast,” she suggests wryly. They laugh.

“Duh! For all that we’re getting better at the science thing, we’re staying at the same level for the human thing. Well, one can say this also counts as getting better at the science thing, because they always throw themselves into their work, thus forgetting about themselves. Oh my _god_ do you know what this means, Van?”

“What does it mean?” she asks. “Also, we should go to that family diner. To celebrate.” They point a finger gun at her. After they both get their coats and shoes on, she locks up and they leave the building.

“ _That_ is a great idea. It _means_ that if we find out it’s more flying than levitating, I won’t have to walk! Ever again. Imagine that. I’ll just be fuckin’ floating everywhere! But I’d stay low to the ground so it _looks_ like I’m walking. I’m a _genius_. And! It won’t even matter that my leg muscles could get weak, because I’ll be flying everywhere. Oh, but that might make my . . . energy or whatever tired . . . Well, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it!” They start skipping and she’s content to stay back, watching them.

“If Dad knew about _this_ part of my powers, he’d have a field day. It’d be _so_ boring. ‘Number four, you are to stay up there ‘til you possibly couldn’t for a second more.’ And then I’d have to! I’d just . . . be on the ceiling watching you guys go about your days.” They’re currently reclining on the ceiling, gesturing wildly. Vanya’s laying down on the couch so she doesn’t have to crane her neck to look up at them.

“Anyway, watch this!” They “Stand up”, feet toward the ground, and push off the ceiling to float to the ground. 

“Wow,” she says, impressed. “You’ve already got a good grip on it, considering we’ve been at this for”—she checks her phone—“less than half an hour.” 

“Of course,” they say, tossing imaginary hair behind them. “I’m a natural.” But they do look pleased at her having said that.

“So yes, you _can_ float when you’re awake, and you can control when you start and when you stop. There doesn’t seem to be a time limit either. Hey, good work today, Klaus!”

Man, this is just like training,” Klaus says wistfully. “Except without all the others around. And with less dire consequences. Well, _no_ consequences, actually. Living with you is _great_.” 

“We should get an apartment together. I’ve had a lot of fun living with you, and I’d love to continue to,” she says suddenly. Klaus just stares at her. “Or—or not . . .” 

“No, no, I’d love to as well,” they assure her. “You’re probably the first person to be eager to live with me, is all.”

“Klaus,” she says, unable to keep the sadness out of her voice. “That’s fucked up.” 

“Well, I’ve got you here now, don’t I, dear sister?” 

“Yeah. Yeah, you do.” 

So now in addition to training, they look for a good apartment together. Vanya also still has students, but she has slightly less in favour of spending time with her brother. Tonight, they’re gonna see if there’s a height limit. To do that, she’s gonna go up to the roof and he’s gonna float along the side of the building. When he reaches the roof, she’ll hold his hand to ensure he doesn’t float away. 

“Ready?” she asks.

“Yep!” He flashes her a thumbs up and they get out of the apartment and split up. It’s not hard to get up on the roof; everyone’s allowed to go. She goes to the left side and awaits Klaus. He’s chosen a spot close to a corner of the building, which means less windows to be spotted from. Clever. 

He’s a sight to behold. As he floats up, he does somersaults in place. It reminds her of the way people move in footage from space shuttles, slowly, uninhibited. 

“Don’t get dizzy,” she calls down to him.

“Okay!” Instead he has one fist extended upwards, the other on his hip. When he’s close enough, she wraps a hand around the wrist that’s been extended.

“It’s like _I’m_ the superhero!” 

“Yes indeed,” she says with a laugh. He grins back. “And also, _I’m_ the taller one! Would you look at that?”

“Yeah, okay, I’ll let you have this. I know you’ve never gotten to say that before.”

“Oh fuck off,” she replies, no heat behind the words.

“Actually, let go of me, Van.”

“If you’re sure.” And because she wholeheartedly trusts her brother, she lets go. And he doesn’t move at all.

“Hell yeah! Look at me!” he crows.

“Oh my god, Klaus. That’s cool as hell!”

“I’ll race you back to the apartment. You got short legs, I gotta fly all the way down and then run up. I think it’s fair.” 

“Okay,” she says easily. “On three. One, two, three!” And they’re off back to the apartment. It _is_ pretty fair; hers is on the middle floor. 

She ends up beating Klaus, but only by a few seconds.

“You’ll never believe it!” he says excitedly. “I can control the speed at which I float down as well! I was thinking man, I really hope it doesn’t take too long, and boom! I was floating faster, but not too fast! And! I can just fly around! Like I can control where I go and how high!”

“That’s awesome! You figured it all out, and it wasn’t even planned!” 

“Yeah I know! Celebration dinner?”

“Celebration dinner,” she confirms. 

And so they go to the family diner again, a place that’s quickly becoming their favourite. To get there, Klaus floats a few inches above the ground, gleefully giggling the whole way. 

“It’s like Howl, you know? I’m just walking in the fucking air! All I need is a jacket to drape on my shoulders!” He looks at the one she’s wearing. “Actually can I?” She wordlessly hands it to him, and he claps his hands together before accepting it. 

“Oh Vanya, you’re so tiny! But I won’t wear this actually, so I won’t break it. Ohhhh, this is just like a fuckin’ dream! The dream life!” 

“Don’t make me jealous! I could finally be taller than you all.”

“Aww, but I like how tiny you are. Ittle baby 7.” He goes behind her and rests his arms on her head for a second. She just looks up at him and smiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is gna be rambly n i don't expect u to stick arnd if u don't feel like it! basically i just expln certain decisions. alsooo i hv only watched s2e1, so no spoilers pls!
> 
> chp 1 title from haunted house by florence + the machine! 
> 
> i do realise i've been downplaying the way klaus reacts to the ghosts, but all in due time. also! reading thru more of the script, i saw tht they WERE gna hv klaus train w dad but dad is shit n i went him to hv a GOOD experience w training :'(
> 
> also! not all genderqueer ppl switch btwn pronouns evry day, but the increments aren't always daily! i figured it was the easiest way for me to keep track of using diff pronouns. i see klaus as more genderqueer/genderfluid than as a demiboy, so i didn't wna use mostly "he" pronouns n one or two instances of using "they" pronouns.
> 
> i classed vanya as sapphic bc i do think she mostly (if not all) likes girls! but idk if i think she's bi or a lesbian yet.
> 
> i hope they don't seem too ooc. this is my first time writing them! i just relate to both so i've given them both aspects of myself. i did think klaus was the talkative type, esp arnd ppl he was close to
> 
> u may notice it says /4 now! i roughly planned events, n when i want thngs to hppn, so i figure it'll turn out to be 4 chapters! 
> 
> one last note for now: omg thank u for all the attn, whether thts hits or kudos or comments or bkmks! it means so so much :') i also feel pressured to be rly good haha i've nvr rly had this much response before! thank u thank u n i will try my best not to let anyone down!


	3. The Food Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vanya and Klaus have a surprisingly heated chat about sandwiches and soup.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> an interlude! they love each other and this is just something siblings do sometimes. also it's dialogue-heavy! Just so u know.
> 
> (they're also real convo topics from my own lived experience lmao)

“Vanya, at some point in our lives, we must _all_ have a discussion about the most important source of life: food,” Klaus says solemnly.

“Okay,” she says slowly, confused but trying to be encouraging. It’s just past breakfast and she’s too tired and also too nice to question it.

“Pineapples on pizza?” Ah. So it’s one of _those_ kinds of food talks.

“I don’t prefer it myself, but I don’t see it as a big deal if others like it.” 

“The mediator,” Klaus says approvingly, nodding his head. “You just might be the one to save us all. Now, this next bit of information, I don’t know if you’re ready for it. A lot of people aren’t. But I must tell you all the same. There’s something called the Sandwich Alignment chart, and you and I are gonna have a talk about sandwiches. So first off, what is your definition of a sandwich?”

“I’d say it’s ingredients with bread on the top and bottom of it.” 

“PB&J?” This will be an entertaining talk, at the very least.

“Sandwich.” 

“BLT?”

“Sandwich.”

“Okay what about an ice cream sandwich?”

“Well. Yeah.”

“So it doesn’t need to be bread?”

“It’s similar enough.” 

“Okay. What about the shape? Is a sub a sandwich?”

“Yep.”

“Well what about a hot dog?”

“Not really. I don’t think so.”

“But it’s an upright sub.”

“Yeah, but . . .”

“Okay, what about an ice cream taco?”

“No, what? It has taco in the name. No. It’s a taco. And if anything, a hot dog is a taco.”

“A wrap or burrito.”

“No. Those are wraps.” 

“Okay. Last one. Some people say . . . a Pop Tart is a sandwich.”

“Ew! No! What? No a Pop Tart would be toast, if anything.” Vanya had no idea a mere few minutes ago that one could get so passionate about a sandwich discussion.

“Ah, but there’s filling inside.”

“Fuck. You’re right. No I hate that though.”

“It’s cursed, isn’t it? Well some people say a pizza is a sandwich.”

“No! Klaus, you’re lying to me. No, pizza is closer to toast.”

“But if you fold a toast in half, that’s a sandwich, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. Because it is!”

“Yeah, so what if you fold a pizza?”

“Oh my god! I hate this. I hate this talk.” She also hates how infuriatingly calm Klaus has been throughout this whole debacle.

“Okay let’s talk soup then. What do you define soup as?”

“Liquid with food floating in it,” Vanya grudgingly answers.

“So would say, cereal? Be a soup?”

“Yeah I guess.” 

“How about salsa?”

“No! Salsa’s a sauce.” 

“Okay. Would OJ?”

“What?! No!”

“But what about OJ with the pulpy bits?” 

“OJ’s a drink!”

“No need to get all angry. _You_ said soup is liquid with floating food. OJ is liquid with floating pulp.”

“Fine. Then I change my answer to savory bits and hot liquid.”

“Then cereal isn’t soup.”

“That’s fine.”

“Water isn’t wet. The Earth is flat even though all the other planets are round. I love Jeff Bezos.” Their cups (empty, thank god) on the table break and Vanya stands up.

“Klaus, I hate you! I’m going to kill you!” She starts running after him and he runs ahead, gleefully cackling. He quickly floats to the ceiling of her bedroom, arms crossed and reclining. 

“This is fucking short oppression! Just because I’m shorter than you, you think you can escape by going up! Cheater!” 

She tries getting up on the bed, but he just floats away again. It’s a different story when she gets one of the cushions from the couch and hurls it his way. Caught off guard, he floats down on her bed. She takes the cushion and hits him on the chest for good measure. They both start laughing as she lays down on her back beside him.

“I swear to god you’re the worst, Klaus,” Vanya says, turning to look at him. 

“Oh, I didn’t know today was opposite day.”

“Yeah, yeah.” She looks once more at the ceiling. 

“Then you’re the worst too, Vanny.” She looks back at him and he smiles, blowing her a kiss. She catches it and tucks it in her pocket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! thank u all for being patient as i slowly crank out the next chapter! i thought i'd give u guys a fun scene tht won't make it into a chp, which i've decided gets its own li'l chp! 
> 
> in case u were interested, i was the one who told my cousin abt the sandwich alignmt chart. we got into an interesting wormhole of wtf chip buttys are (and also brown sauce and also a2), and tht doesn't mean he was vanya either. he was the one who told me abt the pizza thng. my friend asked me wht soup was n i was vanya in this scenario. except the convos aren't word for word! also the original concept was a tlk abt whether or not vampires can get diseases from the blood they suck (idk but their heart is no longer pumping but they still hv organs?? wld they still funct bc the brain still funct? all questions we must ask of ourselves at some pt in life)
> 
> also! the next chp is harder just because when i posted the whole story, i had already had chp 1 and the majority of chp 2 written. i had to go on quite a few walks n also had to break out the ol' pen and paper to map out wht i want to happen when in the nxt chp. so it's in the works!! it's going. it's a lot easier tht i hv a plan (i nvr rly like to plan/map out stories). it's also fun bc i love planning n hvng lists


	4. but the rain is always gonna come

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus has _more_ powers other than seeing ghosts and levitating? Someone comes back into their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter title from Peace by Taylor Swift

“Why didn’t you tell me you went into rehab again? I coulda paid for you,” she could hear a voice outside the apartment saying. 

“Aw, well I didn’t wanna bother you. ‘Sides, I got someone else paying for me now! But if you would like to pay for me, dear brother mine, then by all means, please do! I’m sure she wouldn’t mind some help.” That would be Klaus, so judging by the ‘brother mine’, the other person would probably be Diego, unless Five somehow came back. Klaus and Diego _had_ always been close. 

“Who’s ‘she’? A girlfriend, then?”

“No, no, nothing like that. In fact, you know her quite well!” As Klaus says that, they unlock the door. 

“Look who I ran into,” they crow.

“Hi Diego,” she says quietly.

“Ah. The one who betrayed the family,” he says snidely. 

“No, no, it’s nothing like that. You do what you can to get money to live by! And she _is_ paying for my rehab with that money. And it _did_ stop being popular after a bit.” 

“Aw thanks Klaus. Really helps with my self-esteem,” she says dryly. 

“Don’t worry; you’re still popular in _my_ heart.” 

“Seriously? You didn’t tell me we were gonna be coming to visit _her_ ,” Diego says. 

“Hey, chillax! Take off your shoes if you’re coming in. And seriously. I’ve been staying here, so really, you’re visiting _us_. She’s a wonderful person! She’s been helping me with my powers too! Anyways, this is _per_ fect because I made you a blanket! God, you and Vanya both. I dunno why you wouldn’t like more colourful stuff. Black is just so boring, in my opinion.” They pull the blanket out with a flourish.

“Oh is that what you were working on?” Vanya asks. It’s honestly easiest to just pretend like Diego’s not there. He’d always been cutting, especially so once she’d published that book.

“Yep!”

“No, back up. She’s been helping you with your powers? What, she find another place to lock you in? Or-or is she timing you or something?”

“Stop,” she says, finally stepping in. “You don’t get to use that against them. And if you’re going to be a dick, then you can leave the apartment. I’m not going to make you stay if you hate me so much.”

“I’m just saying. You were damn good about helping with training the first time around.”

“I was doing what Dad wanted me to do, same as you were, same as you _all_ were,” she says tightly. He doesn’t seem to have a good reply to that.

“Fine. Then what about the training now?”

“I make sure I don’t push their limits at all. Contrary to what you seem to believe, I don’t hate them, and I’m not intent on being shitty to them the way Dad was.” Diego looks to Klaus for confirmation. As if she would lie about something as big as that. Klaus gives Diego a thumbs up, of course.

“How come you didn’t come to me first? I coulda helped with training.” He sounds wounded. They must’ve kept in closer touch than the rest of the siblings, then.

“ _You_ didn’t come to me for help. _Vanya_ did. She wanted my help.”

“She did? Why?”

“There was a ghost bothering her. A poltergeist. But it’s gone now,” Klaus says hastily. “Anyways, the point is that with her help, I’m _so_ fucking cool now. I don’t even care about hearing and seeing dead people constantly! Because check it.” They start levitating, then go parallel to the ground as they fly in a tiny circle around her and Diego.

“Holy fuck, Klaus!” Klaus musses both Diego and Vanya’s hair before landing once more beside them. 

“Not bad, right? Again, it’s thanks to _Vanya_ that I even know I can do that. And have somewhere to sleep that’s warm and food to eat. You two are the only siblings that tolerate me, and like hell I’m gonna let you guys hate each other. Or, well, let you, Diego, hate Vanya. It’s getting late, so you best head home, but let’s exchange contact info, okay? Vanya got me this handy dandy phone. We’ll all have lunch together or something.” They swap phones with Diego and exchange their contact information. 

“See you, bro. Vanya,” Diego says with a curt nod, putting on his shoes.

“Bye Diego. Don’t forget the blanket,” Klaus says cheerfully.

“Good night Diego. Stay safe,” she says. He snorts and waves over his shoulder.

“Thanks. And thanks for the blanket.” She closes the door behind him and lets out a breath. 

“I didn’t know he was coming.” She sits down on the couch next to Klaus.

“Honestly I didn’t either. We just bumped into each other, and I figured, I finished his blanket, so why not give it to him? But we’ll know when we see him again because now I can text him!”

“Thanks for not telling him about my powers.”

“It’s what we agreed upon. Not up to me to change the terms of that agreement when it’s not my powers in question. That’s something you get to tell him when you’re ready.” 

“Feels like I’m coming out,” she says dryly.

“In a way, you are.” 

“In a way I am,” she confirms. 

“And I really didn’t think about how he might react to the book. It was accurate, and we were all fucked over by him. You just decided to do something therapeutic and write about it. And yeah, we were all isolated because of Sir Reginald, but at least we weren’t told the things you were told.”

“So you don’t hate it?”

“Oh no. If I did you woulda known by now. And you did good tonight. I know you were angry, but you had it under control. Kudos.” They put an arm around her and pat her shoulder.

“Thanks.” 

“Hey, try not to worry about Diego. I know he’s a great big asshole, but he cares. He’ll come around. I think . . . he just doesn’t like others to define him, especially if it’s just as a product of Dad’s training. And when the book came out, it was like everyone now knew about the shit we went through and he was scared of just being seen for that. Or something. I dunno.”

“No that’s . . . that’s really profound, Klaus.”

“Yeahhh I’ve picked things up in group and stuff.” 

“You’re plenty smart on your own though.”

“Yeah,” they say dismissively. “Anyways he’ll get over it. He’s just used to seeing conversations as attacks because we all are ‘cause of Dad. Once he realises you’re both attacking Dad and you’re on the same side, he’ll get over himself. Also because you’re just a kickass person.” 

“Pssh okay.”

“Hey,” they say, pointing a finger at her. “You said so yourself. If I’m so smart, then obviously I’m right about this and you _are_ cool.”

“Holy fuck!” Klaus shouts from the living room. Vanya, who’s in her room, rushes out to see what’s up. 

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong! But something is very, very right. Or something. I was sitting here on the couch, right, and I left my phone in the kitchen. But I didn’t feel like going to get it, even flying, and I was thinking about how I wanted my phone, and lo and behold! My phone zips through the air and into my hand!”

“Oh my god,” she says, awestruck and at a loss for words.

“Just me, your amazing brother Klaus,” he says with an exaggerated bow. That snaps her out of it and she playfully shoves him.

“Oh shut up.” 

“Guess I’m gonna have to do more training, huh?”

“Only if you want to.” 

“Always down with someone like you around.”

“Okay.” She takes out the training notebook and a pen. “Dude. At this point, what can’t you do?” 

“I know right! I’m basically a god. Okay we should test out whether I can make objects move in general, not just to me. Is there a size limit? If it’s heavy, will I feel that weight? I think that’s a good start.”

“I think so too.”

Klaus patiently waits for her to feel ready before they text Diego. They ask him when he’s free, and agree to meet at a cafe. 

They meet up at the entrance. Punctuality was ingrained in them from very early on, and some lessons are hard to forget. All the lessons from Dad are hard to forget. Diego goes to order first, ensuring they’ll pay separate bills, and she and Klaus go after he’s seated once more.

“So what have you been up to?” Klaus asks Diego once they’re all nursing their drinks, and Klaus a muffin as well.

“I . . . help the police with their investigations. Only the ones where the perpetrators are armed. Figure since I have the training, I could protect the civilians and make sure they get away safely.”

“Oh wow. That’s cool. Do they compensate you?” Vanya asks.

“No, but knowing I helped save at least one person’s life is more than enough compensation. And anyways, I have an actual job that pays. I work at a gym, help with custodial maintenance. I also help train people if they want, but I don’t get paid for that either. I’m not gonna make people pay me to teach them self-defense.” 

She understands what Klaus meant now. Diego cares about people like _that’s_ his job. He cares about people as naturally as his heart beats. She would never be able to hate someone like that, and she’d understand if someone like that were to hate her. Hell, she’d understand if anyone were to hate her.

“Damn. That’s admirable, bro. If only more people were like you,” Klaus remarks. Diego sits a little straighter at that, carries himself with pride.

“Yeah. So what are you up to these days?” Diego asks, a little more confidence in his words.

“Oh y’know, same old same old. In and out of rehab, in and out of a place to sleep. Actually, Vanya’s is the first stable place I’ve had in years.”

“Gosh Klaus. I’m only sorry I didn’t find you sooner,” she says apologetically.

“Nah, don’t worry about it.” They wave her off. “No one wants to fund a fucked up druggie. I get it. I’m used to it.”

“Stop it,” she says, upset. “That’s not all you are. And _I_ wanna fund you. I wanna take care of you and make sure you’re okay. People _do_ care about you, Klaus.”

“Yeah, okay,” they say, clearly uncomfortable. They don’t really talk about this stuff; she assumes they talk about it at rehab. “Anyways, tell us what _you’ve_ been up to, Van!”

“Well I’m in an orchestra. I also give private violin lessons.”

“We should go see you at your next performance!” Klaus claps their hands together.

“You _have_ always been good,” Diego says.

“Thank you.”

“I mean you were always playing and it somehow carried throughout the house. I couldn’t not listen.” Knowing him, it’s probably meant to be harsh, but he probably also doesn’t mean it. She can’t help but feel touched.

“Does anyone want a bite of my muffin? It’s heavenly! No it’s okay you guys should definitely try it.” Klaus rips off a piece for Vanya and Diego and she accepts hers graciously. They both eat theirs. It’s a triple chocolate muffin, because Klaus has a sweet tooth. She herself likes dark chocolate more, but she’s not sure about Diego.

“Good, right?” Klaus asks them. 

“Eh,” she says honestly.

“‘S good,” Diego agrees. “So uh, how’s training going? If you wanna talk about it.”

“Oh _that’s_ good as well. Real good. Here, watch this.” They hold their hand out, palm up, and the muffin floats onto it. She watches as Diego’s eyes comically widen. 

“Holy shit, bro. Have you always been able to do this?” 

“It’s somewhat of a newly acquired trick. As in I learned I could do it a few days ago. Also sometimes it feels weird when you call me ‘bro’. When I’m wearing this necklace, can you stick with ‘sib’, just to be safe?”

“Oh yeah, sure. It looks nice.”

“Yeah. It’s the colours of the trans kaleidoscope flag, as created by the [Toronto Trans Alliance](http://mexicotransgendercenter.com/4-facts-about-trans-kaleidoscope-flag/). Vanya made it for me. She also made one that says he/him. And she has one of her own!” 

“Ah. Do you make jewellery now?” Diego looks at her when he asks that. Baby steps.

“Yeah, kinda. Klaus picked up crocheting and I picked up making necklaces and bracelets. There’s something we both do—have you heard of it? It’s called perler beads.”

“No I can’t say I have. Is it like jewellery beads?” He seems genuinely interested, and it means a lot.

“No, actually. It’s uh, you have a little pegboard and you put perler beads onto it to create designs. We got this big jug? It has a lot and even just sorting those colours out is very soothing.” 

“Huh. Sounds interesting. You’ll have to have me over some time to try it out. Could you make me one of those necklaces?”

“Yeah of course. What pronouns?”

“He/him. Is there a reason for the colours on yours?”

“Yeah. The same flag I used for Klaus’s necklace, the pink on there represents femininity. Yours will be blue, because it represents masculinity.” Diego nods in understanding. She doesn’t think she’s ever had a regular conversation like this with Diego, much less any of them, except maybe Five. Back then, everyone had been so caught up in the competitive nature of merely living at the Academy.

“Thanks.”

“Of course. I’ll let you know when it’s done. Actually I don’t have your contact info. I didn’t know if you’d be okay with it, last time.”

“Oh. Yeah. Here.” He hands her his phone and takes hers, and they input their contact information. 

“Thanks. We’ll see you when it’s finished?” 

“Yeah.”

“Will we get to go to your place?” Klaus asks. They’d been letting Vanya and Diego talk, content to sit back and watch as their siblings finally got along.

“It’s not much,” Diego says uncomfortably. “It’d probably be better if we go back to your place, if you’re okay with that.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s fine,” Vanya says. “See you soon, then. I’ve got a lesson coming up.”

“See you guys soon. Have uh, have fun at the lesson I guess?”

“Thanks. Have fun doing whatever you’ll be doing, Diego.”

“Bye Diego,” Klaus says sing-songy. 

“Bye Klaus.” They go their separate ways. 

“How come you didn’t take him to the diner?” Vanya asks once he’s out of sight.

“Why, because that’s our place. I didn’t wanna take him there and potentially ruin it if he decides to stay an asshole.”

“Oh. Thanks.” She’d been thinking of it as their place as well. Not that she ever hung out with other people before this. 

This time around, it’s not so much training as it is Klaus experimenting by himself. Vanya’s fine with it. After talking with Diego, she’s realised she _might_ indeed be overworking him. They’ve been training so much lately. So she’s letting him do it himself. 

He’s been having a lot of fun with it. Whenever he needs anything, he’ll summon it. He brushes his teeth in the living room because he can summon the toothbrush and toothpaste, and then he floats his way back to the bathroom. He floats back over to the couch and summons his crocheting bag. He never has to worry again about losing his phone because he can just summon it. She still makes notes on his abilities, it’s just a more lax system than it’s been before. 

“Hey wait, Van!” 

“Yeah what’s up?” Vanya goes into the living room.

“Remember how you told me cups and stuff go towards the edge of the table and fall off?”

“Yeah,” she says slowly, unsure of where they’re going with this.

“But you can also make things break without moving anywhere.”

“Yeah.”

“Which means maybe you can make things move! Like me!”

“Oh. I didn’t think about that. But I’ve only been able to break things.”

“Then we can try to use targets! Diego could probably help with that, once you trust him.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

“We’ll deal with that when it comes to it,” Klaus says decisively. 

She finishes the necklace in the afternoon and texts Diego. He gets back to her and says he’s at work, but they can stop by for a bit and he’ll meet them. 

“Oh yippee!” Klaus exclaims. 

“It’s probably gonna be in and out,” Vanya says.

“Still. The chance to see my brother at work!”

They take a bus, sitting in the back. Vanya’s always liked the higher seats, and she tells Klaus as much.

“It’s probably because you’re so short,” he remarks. 

“Fuck you.” She hits his arm and he just laughs. 

“Look, you’re my little armrest,” Klaus says, resting his arm on her. 

“I’ll bite you,” she tries to say menacingly. Judging by the way he’s unfazed, and also knowing their relationship, it definitely doesn’t work. 

“Is he your brother?” the lady sitting near them asks. 

“Yeah,” she says, sighing. “Always makes fun of my height.”

“Older brothers are like that, let me tell you,” she says conspiratorially. They both laugh. “Well this is me. Good meeting you two! Don’t be too mean, okay? Never know when you’ll need each other’s help!” 

“Thank you! Bye!”

“Bye!” 

“Yeah, Klaus, don’t be so mean,” Vanya says, turning to him.

“Hey, I’m not the one threatening to bite others.”

“I only threaten to bite people who _bully_ me. I’m gonna tell Diego, and he’ll protect me because I’m li’l ol’ Vanya.” She copies the way Klaus says it.

“That’s low, sis. Real low. Almost as low as you are!” He snickers as she hits him again. “Hey look it’s our stop!” They both get off with a ‘thank you’ to the bus driver, and head into their brother’s place of work.

It’s a bit of a small place. There’s a big ring in the middle, punching bags to the side, lockers, and a small hallway leading farther in. That being the case, Diego isn’t too hard to find. He’s off to a corner assisting someone at a beanbag. Vanya turns to ask Klaus if they should wait, but Klaus has already started walking to him. 

“Hey, bro,” Klaus says. Diego says something to the person he’s helping before turning to face them.

“Klaus, Vanya.” 

“I’ve got your necklace.” She hands it to him and watches as a smile creeps onto his face when he holds it up. He puts it on right away.

“Thanks, sis.” 

“We’re all matchy matchy!” Klaus says. “Don’t forget we’re grabbing lunch together next week, Diego.”

“Yep. See you guys then.”

“Bye!”

“Take care,” Vanya says. He waves and they wave back before walking out.

Vanya leaves her room in the morning to find all the lights on and no Klaus on the couch. She’s learned at this point to look on the ceiling, and there they are. Upon closer inspection, she sees that they look weary, and are dozing off.

“Klaus?” They blink awake at that, scanning the room and smiling tiredly when they see her.

“Hey, what’s up, Vanny?” 

“You are, I guess. Something happen? Wanna come down and talk about it?”

“Good eye. The ghosts can’t get me up here because get this, they’re confined to what they could do in life! Stupid ghosts can’t even fly.” They wave an arm idly and slowly come back down to sit next to her.

“Ghosts?”

“Yeah. Those fuckers are persistent as ever. I mean, guess I’m lucky that according to most mythos, ghosts only ever linger if they’ve got unfinished work or are unready or something. Still, they seem to come in swarms. Maybe gaggle is a better word. Alliteration.”

“Klaus, you didn’t tell me it was this bad,” she says, concerned.

“Well, I wouldn’t call it _this_ bad.”

“You just told me that they come in gaggles, and I found you on the ceiling on the verge of sleep.”

“Huh. That’s true. I _did_ say and do that. I just didn’t wanna _scare_ you or _bother_ you. We’ve had so much fun, Vanny! If I bring up my boring trauma, it’s gonna make things sad, or boring. And I already talk about it at group.”

“What? Klaus, it’s not gonna—gonna _bother_ me. I wanna _help_ you. You’ve been helping me so much and I—I wanna do the same for you. Not gonna do it like Dad, remember? I want you to tell me about that shit and I won’t ignore it. I’ll help you figure out what we can do to stop it or make it better at least. And sure you can talk about it in group, but not all of it.”

“Yeah, I guess, but I can talk about the Dad side of it and how drugs were my way of having control in my life. Let me tell you Vanya, I’m the one who’s been in this body for 20 years and nobody ever wants to live in the same environment as this shit, much less listen to me talk about what exactly is going on.” 

“And let me tell _you_ , Klaus, I’m your sister and I love you. I care about you. Even if you hadn’t helped me, I’d still wanna help you because nothing’s gonna change the fact that I love and care about you. How you feel matters to me, and if there’s something I can do to take away from your suffering, then of course I’d figure out what it is. If that’s just talking, then talk to me. Talk my ear off, talk to me the whole night, I don’t mind.”

“Okay,” they say doubtfully. “All I’m saying is don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

“And all _I’m_ saying is I’m not. Now please, tell me what’s happening. Tell me what you need. Let me help you.” 

And so they tell her about everything. They tell her the reason they have that dream all the time, that Dad locked them in a mausoleum for days at a time when they were 8 to try to rid them of their fear of death and the dark, that it just exacerbated those fears. They tell her that dead people badger them, looking like they did when they died, never leaving them alone. They tell her the only solutions they’ve found is lotsa lights—something they could never employ because they’d never lived alone—and now, floating to the ceiling where they at least can’t get so close.

It shocks her and fucks her up a bit. Of course it does. She can’t fathom how they survive this shit. All she knows is now she _really_ wants to find that new apartment. She suggests they get a loft bed with a retractable/movable ladder for the new apartment, and a shitton of lamps. That way the ghosts can’t get to them, at least, and they can see them. She also suggests noise-cancelling headphones, because she can always get their attention through other means. They find a pair with good reviews and order it together. For now, she’ll leave her stand by the couch, with its light on to the brightest setting, and she’ll leave the lights on. There’s nothing she can do about the height issue, but Klaus says it’s fine. She only wishes, not for the first time, that she was able to see and help with everything sooner.

“What is this?” Klaus looks at the notebook Vanya hands to him. The notebook has become a very important part of their time together. It’s like Dad’s notebook, but good. 

“It’s our notebook. And it’s open to a page about ways we can stop each other from being self-deprecating. It makes me sad when you are, and I know it makes you sad when I am, and it’s just not a good habit to keep.”

“‘Flick’,” he reads out loud. “‘Spray bottle’. What are we, cats? ‘Nerf gun. Make an alarm sound. Airhorn app’. Vanya, these are amazing.” He looks up at her and she mimes a curtsy.

“Yes, thank you, I know. Do you have any other methods we could use? Maybe some stuff you picked up from group?” 

“I do, actually, but this one is more about yourself. Someone brought up that instead of being dramatic and saying super negative shit, you could go the opposite, and say super positive shit. Like, if you trip, instead of saying ‘I’m the clumsiest sonuvabitch’, you could say ‘I’m just the epitome of grace today’. It’ll be sarcastic at first, duh, but eventually you’ll start believing it. Basically, fake it ‘til you make it. But also another thing we can do is revise each other’s statements. Like if you’re like ‘wow I’m really bad at this’ I can be like ‘no, actually it’s just a bit harder this time and like Hannah Montana said, everyone makes mistakes’.”

“Thanks. These are good ideas, Klaus.” She takes the notebook back and writes them down. 

They also decide to decorate a simple sign that says “NO SELF-DEPRECATION SHIT” to tape on the wall (it’s really just a laminated piece of paper with lots of colours, and doodled swirls, flowers, and hearts). 

She steps back, admiring their work. It’s next to their apartment door, so they’ll be able to see it if they look left. He stands next to her, whistling.

“Point to the sign. That’s another thing we could do now,” Klaus remarks. She writes it down in their notebook.

Diego comes over to try making Perler bead creations with them one weekend when he’s free. Vanya’s already busy sorting them while looking for a design (she can be so indecisive; the sooner she starts the better), so she doesn’t bother getting up when there’s a knock at their door. 

“I’ll get it,” Klaus says. They make no move, opting to just try doing it telepathically, but even they seem surprised when it works. 

“Damn Klaus, save some cool shit for the rest of us,” Vanya says. Diego looks between the two of them, confused, as he shuts the door and toes off his shoes. 

“I just opened the door for you, bro. Telepathically!” Klaus crows. 

“Holy shit. No way.”

“Yes way! Wait lemme try again.” Diego walks to stand by them, and they successfully open, then close the door.

“How do I know you’re not just . . . having a ghost do that or something?”

“Uh, because ghosts can’t touch anything and I don’t control ghosts. Wait—what if I could control ghosts? How have we not explored this yet?”

“I don’t know, actually. I guess we were just so focused on the telekinesis part, because that was totally new.” She writes it down in their journal though. “Okay Perler beads! Have you used Pinterest before?”

“ . . . Yes,” Diego answers, kneeling on the ground as well. 

“No shame! Okay great; we don’t have to explain a whole app to you. So usually we go on Pinterest first and look up Perler bead patterns. You can get to making something once you find a design you like.”

They all start (well continue, in Vanya’s case) looking through Pinterest for a Perler bead design they like enough to make. Klaus finds theirs first. They’ve always been creative, and being able to settle down and have so many outlets has only made them even more so. Sometimes they create from a reference, and sometimes they make up their own design, sketched or on the spot. Vanya and Diego find theirs around the same time, and there’s enough boards for all of them. 

“So people at the gym like the pronoun necklace. Some of them want their own, and/or have friends that do,” Diego says. 

“Oh wow. No way. Really?” Vanya’s surprised, if she’s honest. It was just something little she did for her sibling. 

“Yeah. It feels nice to have little signs of validation and knowing you’re safe, y’know? You don’t have to do it if you don’t have the time and energy though.”

“No, I’d be more than happy to. Just get me a list of the amount of necklaces to make for each pronoun.”

“Sweet, I’ll tell them you’re making them for other people. They’ll be so happy. Shit! Is it always so hard?” Vanya looks over to see that Diego’s tipped a few over.

“It’s slightly easier for me ‘cause I’ve got tinier fingers. Here. We’ve found that tweezers help a lot.” She hands him a pair of tweezers and he thanks her. 

They all work in a nice, companionable silence. It’s only occasionally broken by a “shit”. It seems you can’t have one Perler bead session without something getting messed up. She’s glad that none of them have had a big disaster yet that took out more than a third of their designs. 

They get so caught up that by the time they’ve all got their designs ironed and done their little show and tell, it’s grown dark outside. 

“Hey Diego, I know a spot if you wanna join us for dinner?” she says. 

“Sure. I could definitely go for some food,” he says. They all get their jackets and shoes on and leave, with Vanya leading the way.

When they arrive at the family diner, Vanya holds the door and Diego heads in. Klaus catches her eyes and raises their eyebrows, but she just smiles and nods.

It’s a good move, taking him here. She really does feel like she can trust him with it; he’s warmed up significantly since their first reunion. They talk more about their lives, about how Vanya and Klaus came to live together and how it’s been, and how Diego’s been doing on his own. Eventually, the topic comes up of rent, because Vanya’s rent is almost due. 

“Hey so, Klaus and I have been looking at a new apartment that’s actually meant for two people. I know it’s really soon and we’ve just started talking again, but would you wanna move in? With us?”

“Oh, really? Even after I’ve been such a dick to you?”

“We’ve all been dicks to each other. Right, Klaus? Klaus knows all about being a dick to me, and I still live with them.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, darling,” they say, patting her head. “Besides, I’m not the one going around saying I’ll bite people. So all of the people at this table are dicks in some way or form, some shorter than others.” She slaps their hand away, the both of them laughing.

“I’m missing something,” Diego states.

“Not much. Vanya over here likes to threaten to bite people who point out how short she is. It’s a sensitive topic for her.”

“You just think I’m short because you’re all weirdly super tall. Maybe that’s one of your superpowers, being tall.”

“I’ve seen shorter people,” Diego offers. “Also yes, then, I would like to move in with you guys.”

“Diego’s my new favourite flatmate,” Vanya declares.

“He’s not even officially a flatmate yet,” Klaus says, offended.

“He’s also not on my shit list.”

“Wow, Klaus, getting on your flatmate’s shit list? Not a good look,” Diego teases.

“I can’t help it! She’s my little baby sister, aren’t you, Van,” they say, cooing. 

“Pretty sure you’re gonna need to protect yourself from her soon,” Diego remarks. They all laugh. 

“Would you look at that our food’s here!” Klaus says. 

They all eat, with a lot of chatting interspersed between bites. They talk a bit about what the ideal apartment would be like, but they mostly just talk about random things. She’s really liked doing this with just Klaus, but it feels different when Diego’s here, in a good way. It feels like maybe it’s not too late for their family, and one day they could hang out again. Just like this. 

“I don’t actually hate you,” Vanya says as they walk out of the diner. 

“I know,” Klaus replies with a smile. 

“Good. Because I love you, and I’m so glad we live together now.” They put an arm around her shoulder and she leans into it. 

“Does it actually upset you when I talk about your height?”

“Nah. It’s funny. Harmless. Much better than making fun of something like my constantly declining mental health.” They both laugh. 

“Well, it’d be hypocritical if I did _that_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyyyy gang!! it's been HAHA three months OOPS!! school has just been SO BAD but i'm sure u all kno tht, as we've been navigating a pandemic, adjusting to online schooling, n teachers totally dropping any semblance of boundaries n piling us with schoolwork. also this one is REALLY BIG and i hadn't realised that?? i rly just had tht one fucking scene at the end w diego at the diner to finish, and tht took so long for some reason. 
> 
> sibling banter!! short jokes! sorry if they seem excessive?? my height is like. the only thing ppl can joke abt without hurting my feelings n leaving me in A Funk LOL n it's not mean-spirited! wow! a concept! 
> 
> i gave them ages! i forgot where i saw this, but they're 25 as of season 2, and the prompt said this happened a few years before apocalypse wk. alsooo i wanted to u kno idk they're not technically legal to drink and do drugs!! klaus started using at like 11? 13? and i just wanna reiterate that they're a recovering user and alcoholic. 
> 
> and speaking of s2! that shit was wow! sissy :''') harlan :') they all Grew a lot and Healed a bit and wow i don't hate luther anymore!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you like it! idk how often i'll upload, and also chapter lengths will probly vary (for example: in my size 24 font, this part is fucking 37 pgs n the next is 10), but i've got some pts already written! it was only a matter of time before i uploaded.
> 
> also, this was written long before s2 came out, and i'm taking it slow so i can savour it, which means it might not be accurate to canon depictions of their powers.


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